chauvinist

Where does the word "chauvinist" come from? It comes from French Chauvin, and was adopted directly into English (1870).

Chauvinist’s story begins in French: Chauvin meant “a family name.” Nicolas Chauvin, supposedly a fanatically loyal soldier of Napoleon, was probably invented; the Cogniard brothers' 1831 play La Cocarde tricolore made him a byword for jingoism. It reached English by 1870 as chauvinist. Meant a blind patriot; 'male chauvinist' spread with the women's movement around 1970. Today, chauvinist means a person with prejudiced loyalty to their own group, especially a male chauvinist.

1. Stage 1 · French · 1831 Chauvin "a family name", Nicolas Chauvin, supposedly a fanatically loyal soldier of Napoleon, was probably invented; the Cogniard brothers' 1831 play La Cocarde tricolore made him a byword for jingoism.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1870 chauvinist "excessive partisan", meant a blind patriot; 'male chauvinist' spread with the women's movement around 1970.